36 Uses for Baking Soda

When I first started making my transition to natural cleaners and toxic-free personal care products I was amazed by how few ingredients I really needed. I also began to notice those few “super” team-players that seemed to show up everywhere: Coconut oil in many of my beauty products, lemons for added zing in my cleaning products, vinegar, castile soap, etc. But none seem to bring as much versatility as simple baking soda. There are so many uses for baking soda!

Sodium bicarbonate, the “official” term for baking soda, helps regulate pH. If baking soda mixes with either an acid or an alkaline substance it has a neutralizing effect on it. Baking soda is perfect for neutralizing acidic odors and maintaining a neutral pH which is perfect for doing things like boosting your laundry detergent’s power. It also has a gentle abrasive ability to help scrub. In a nutshell, the uses for baking soda are many: It deodorizes, neutralizes, and cleans all without the toxic mess of most commercial products. Ah, yeah.

36 Uses for Baking Soda

Personal Care

1. Freshen your breath

2. Polish your teeth

Many people will use baking soda as a natural toothpaste. There is some concern, however, that baking soda can be too abrasive for everyday use (although there are plenty of people who swear by it), but even using it from time to time to help polish and whiten teeth is simple and effective. I’ll add a little baking soda to my normal homemade toothpaste every few weeks when I want a little boost.

3. Make your own deodorant

Some people will just sprinkle on baking soda as a natural deodorant. For my sensitive skin this is too much, but it is a key ingredient in my deodorant recipe that I love.

4. Gently exfoliate

Here’s a simple way to gently get rid of dead skin: Mix 3 parts of baking soda to 1 part water. Rub gently in a circular motion and then rinse clean.

5. Relieve Skin Irritation

Add a cup of baking soda to bathwater to soften your skin and relieve skin irritations.

6. Relieve heartburn and more

7. Relieve insect bites

Make a simple paste of water and baking soda and apply as a salve onto affected skin.

8. No ‘Poo

Many swear by the simplicity of baking soda as shampoo that’s finished off with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse. Learn more about ‘No Pooing here. But also keep in mind how this might affect the pH of your scalp.

9. Keep your brushes and combs clean

Baking soda is great to help naturally remove oils, build up, and residue on your combs and brushes. Simply soak in a solution of water and baking soda (about 1 tsp of baking soda to a cup of water). Rinse and dry thoroughly.

10. Relieve Diaper Rash

Put two tablespoons of baking soda in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.

11. Pamper your feet

Soaking your feet in a baking soda solution will help soothe and soften tired feet. Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda into a small tub of warm water and soak.

Sparkling Clean

12. Easy DIY soft scrub

How easy? Sprinkle some baking soda on your tubs, sinks, or tile and then wipe with a clean damp washcloth. Rinse and dry. You can also make a paste by mixing water and baking soda before hand.

13. Simple Floor Cleaner

This is great for tile floors: Use 1/2 cup baking soda in a bucket of warm water to help mop and clean floors.

14. Cut grease naturally

Add a heaping scoop of baking soda to your normal dish soap and let soak for a while. Baking soda helps gut grease and make it easier to clean.

15. Simple Air Freshener

Ironically, most air fresheners on the market are full of toxic chemicals that you shouldn’t breathe. Luckily, you can make this super easy air freshener using baking soda and a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

16. Easy Microwave Cleanup

Sprinkle some baking soda on a damp cloth and gently scrub away any microwave mess. Cleans and deodorizes. Win win.

17. Polish Silver Flatware

Another simple paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water can be rubbed onto silver flatware with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse and dry. And bask in the shine!

18.Baking Soda Oven Cleaner

Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom surface of your oven. Spray with a water bottle to dampen the baking soda. Let this mixture sit over night and then scrub in the morning. Rinse thoroughly.

19. Clean Crayons from Walls

Apply baking soda to a slightly wet cloth and rub lightly. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth.

There you go! 36 useful uses for baking soda. What’s your favorite use for baking soda?

NOTE: Due to an never-ending cesspool of spam, I have made the tough decision to close comments 14 days after the original posting of all posts. Sorry to anyone left out of the conversation. I just needed to spend less time monitoring spam and more time with my kids. Best wishes, Robin!

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About the author

Hi! I'm Robin and I’m passionate about healthy living: feeling nourished, having energy, getting good sleep, and feeling strong. I believe healthy living does not have to be complicated or stressful.
I’m a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist (RSMT) and a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA). I’m also an avid researcher and love to read about nutrition, the body, and toxic-free living. Learn more.

My husband is a bee keeper and once in a while we get a sting. They are so painful and elicit words of anger that most bikers wouldn’t use. However, applying a quick paste of baking soda and water to the area provides instant relief and prevents swelling.

For insect bites, I would recommend using vinegar instead of water. When I was a child, I slept over at a friends house and woke up covered in flea bites. When I got home, my mom made a paste of rice vinegar and baking soda – it soothed the itching and the bites disappeared soon after!

Also, a reader of mine recently suggested mixing liquid castile soap with baking soda for an abrasive cleaner – it works like a charm! It’s super sudsy and cuts grease – I use it on my dishes and…well, on everything else, too!

All great uses for baking soda! Another one is as a buffer for ruminants, as any goat keeper can tell you. If you are using baking soda in all these wonderful ways, you’re already saving lots of $$ over commercial products. But you can save even more by buying it at a feed store in a 50 lb. bag. Same exact thing, but at about half the cost of the 13.5 lb. yellow bag at Walmart. If the local feed store doesn’t stock it, they can order it for you like mine did at no extra charge. ($15.00 for a 50 lb. bag)

I like to use it to get burney residue off of pots, pans and baking dishes. put some baking soda in water, boil it, and let the burney part sit in the boiling water for a few minutes, then it will wipe clean.

I use the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 tsp of baking soda mixed together until the fizzing stops then add 4ozs of water and drink. This is a natural alkalizing drink to help balance your body. Very healthy to alkalize your system daily to balance all the acidifying foods and chems we are exposed to. I drink it first thing in the morning and eat 30-60 mins later. You can do it twice a day, I’m just not there yet.

I have been concerned about using products containing aluminum but have not been able to find any deodorants that actually work. i absolutely LOVE the deodorant recipe and have shared it with friends. It really works all day!!

I mix 1 tsp. baking soda into my water for boiling eggs (for boiling 4 eggs so you may need to up the amount if you are boiling more)
I bring the eggs to a boil….simmer 10 minutes……drain and put in ice water for 10 minutes…..then crack and peel under cold running water. Most of my very fresh eggs still peel nicely with this method.

I must have done something wrong as my comment didn’t come up.
One of my favorite uses of baking soda is to mix a teaspoon into my water when I boil 4 eggs. I bring them to a boil….simmer 10 min……. drain…….put in ice water for 10 min…..then crack and peel under running cold water. My eggs are very fresh and still most of them peel nicely.
If this ends up being a repeat post, I am sorry. My first one didn’t show up but maybe there is a lag time that I am not aware of but posting again just in case.